From my personal experience it all depends on where you go. I know some people who will stay away from Petco/Petsmart and the chain stores because they feel that they don't know as much. That is part of the truth. I've heard some really ignorant advice from local or independent pet stores. I had spoken to a lady who was told to take her Chinese Water Dragon outside for for it's vitamin d3. I live in Iowa and frankly this suggestion is rather absurd especially when winter comes around.

Also when I worked at Petco I can tell you I had people that worked in my departments and the managers who didn't know a thing about most of our animals. The training was focused on product placement and shelving. I was their head guy in Aquatics/Reptiles before I was given their training. I had maybe five little paragraphs on animal care. Luckily I already knew what I was doing and had enough sense to study at home. The way they setup their displays are all done through a corparate offie and they have no desire to do what the animal needs. I had twenty or more Ball Pythons stuffed into a ten gallon tank because they wouldn't bother to see what your on hands were and would just send you 15 or more. You couldn't keep them in the back either. They ALL had to be out on the floor.